Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 854 Side Story: Main Story (Part 4)
Master Zhiyuan and Abbess Jingyuan stood aside, watching Wang Yan lead Xie Yuyan into the Wang family's gate.

The newlyweds were exchanging vows, and both of them watched with smiles on their faces.

"Master," said Abbess Jingyuan, "is this your first time attending a celebratory banquet?"

Master Zhiyuan wanted to say "for the first time," but he couldn't open his mouth.

Because monks do not lie.

Before meeting Benefactor Xie, he and his apprentice went around begging for alms. When they came across a wedding banquet, they would naturally try their luck, hoping that the host might be happy and give them some incense money.
According to the rules, one can only beg for alms once a day. No matter how much one receives, it is all divided equally among all the monks. If one does not receive any food, everyone will go hungry for the whole day.

Zhiyuan initially followed the rules strictly... but as time went on, the old and young in the temple really couldn't afford to go hungry, so he abandoned all pretense of dignity and started taking his disciples around.

Even so, the temple's situation continued to worsen, simply because local gentry and powerful figures, in an attempt to force him to join them in their corrupt practices, seized land and threatened believers, preventing them from offering them any assistance.

If Lady Xie doesn't find him, he might not be able to hold on much longer.

Now, with such a large Baode Temple, the monks not only have no worries about food and clothing, but they can even prepare medicinal pills to support temples in the border regions. This is all thanks to the old lady's kindness.

Although sometimes... it also carries a little bit of a compulsion.

For example, she would have someone borrow the temple's alchemy room to prepare other medicines, or... she would forcibly give him some items.

Thinking of this, Master Zhiyuan looked at Abbess Jingyuan: "Did Benefactor Xie tell you that you would send some gifts to Ciyun Nunnery after the wedding ceremony?"

Master Jingyuan replied matter-of-factly, “Thank you for your kindness, benefactor. We are willing to donate some of the wedding curtains to the nunnery. The curtains are beautifully embroidered with flowers and birds, and the colors are also very nice. It would be a pity to use them only once.”

Master Zhiyuan understood immediately: "Then... will Ciyun Nunnery open another embroidery workshop?"

Master Jingyuan smiled again: "We will open one, not only in Bianjing, but I also plan to go to Jiangnan... There is also a Ciyun Nunnery there."

The two Ciyun Nunnery are like... two Baode Temples.

Upon hearing this, Master Zhiyuan felt inexplicably relieved, realizing that everyone was in the same boat.

“Abbot,” said Master Jingyuan, “Does Benefactor Xie have anything to give to Baode Temple? If not, this humble nun will ask Benefactor Xie for some.”

Master Zhiyuan regretted not leaving immediately after asking the question, but he had to force a smile and said, "Amitabha, thank you for your compassion. Some of the porcelain used at today's banquet will be sent to the temple."

The porcelain I used today...

Master Jingyuan understood immediately: "Then we must take a closer look later; it must be a style that is not available on the market."

It seems that after this wedding, Xie Niangzi's shops will be busy again. Abbess Jingyuan nodded in satisfaction. The more porcelain she accumulated, the more likely she would be able to go to sea with the merchant caravan again.

"Otherwise, the abbot could hold a religious ceremony at the temple in a few days to pray for the well-being of the faithful."

When these porcelain pieces are used, and someone tells us about their origins, the more people see them, the faster the news will spread, and merchants outside the capital will know about it sooner.

This is the usual tactic.

Master Zhiyuan was very familiar with it, and he hoped he hadn't heard it.

"Host."

"Master host?"

Didn't Xie Shanren say that she didn't have time to talk to him when she got married? Why is someone else here instead?

"Master, why don't we go aside and debate the scriptures?" Seeing that Master Zhiyuan refused, Abbess Jingyuan prepared to use the Buddhist scriptures in her mind to persuade him.

Master Zhiyuan shuddered instantly.

……

house.

Xie Yuyan sat on the wedding bed, and the matchmaker beside him smiled with her eyes crinkled. She picked up dates, chestnuts, longans and coins engraved with "long life and wealth" and "early birth of a son" and scattered them around Xie Yuyan. She also had someone bring over flowers and fruits symbolizing unity.

Wang Yan picked up a seed and brought it to Xie Yuyan's lips.

"I heard that these candied fruits and preserves were all made by my brother himself. Does my sister-in-law find them sweet?"

The young woman from the Wang clan asked with a smile.

Xie Yuyan's cheeks flushed slightly. She looked up at Wang Yan and saw his smiling eyes, which softened her heart even more.

Xie Yuyan said, "Sweet."

The women laughed again.

After drinking the nuptial wine, Wang Yan carefully cut a lock of Xie Yuyan's hair, tied it to his, and put it into a wooden box.

Xie Yuyan looked at the wooden box, which had a carved stone inlaid on it... This style was obviously uncommon, but it seemed somewhat familiar to her, so she asked, "This box..."

“I carved it,” Wang Yan said softly. “When I was a teenager, I was fond of metal and stone, so I followed a craftsman to learn carving. However, I didn’t study for long, and I can’t carve many patterns well.”

At this point, Wang Yan leaned close to Xie Yuyan's ear and whispered, "Inlaying gold and stones on it symbolizes eternal fidelity, making it most suitable to preserve our marriage vows."

True and enduring as gold and stone.

As Xie Yuyan murmured these words in his heart, his mind was instantly stirred with a thousand ripples.

"What are you saying to your sister-in-law? Can't we hear?"

“I would like to hear it too, brother, why don’t you say it again?”

The women were laughing and joking.

A buzzing sound filled Xie Yuyan's ears, and the surrounding noise gradually faded away. In her mind, she recalled the scene from her previous life when Wang Yan passed away and Wang Zheng asked her to help copy Buddhist scriptures.

Later, that scroll of Buddhist scripture was put into such a box. At the time, she thought the scripture would be taken to a temple for worship and didn't think much of it. Now, recalling it... she just felt a lump in her throat.

So, did Wang Yan remember everything from his past life? Not only did he meet her once in the mountains, but also... they would always meet again and again through dreams, returning to the rift in time and space.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be in that state of mind.

What was she thinking at that time? Raised by the Xie family, she had become cold-blooded and ruthless. Copying Buddhist scriptures was merely a ploy to gain Wang Zheng's favor and secure the Wang family's support. All the things she meticulously planned and wanted had already been delivered to her by Wang Yan before his death.

No wonder, when she left the Wang family, although Wang Zheng thanked her and promised that the Wang family would help her if she needed anything in the future, there seemed to be a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

Perhaps Wang Zheng had a thought in his mind: to kill her to accompany Wang Yan in death.

"Ayan, what's wrong?"

Upon noticing that Xie Yuyan was staring at the box without moving, Wang Yan sensed something was wrong and immediately bent down to call her in a low voice. Finally, she raised her head.

Her clear, bright eyes were slightly red, and her gaze held a hint of sadness and pain.

Wang Yan's expression immediately changed. Forgetting there were others in the room, he knelt down and knelt before her. His previously joyful face darkened. "A-Yan...it's..."

He wanted to ask if something was wrong, but before he could speak, Xie Yuyan covered his mouth with her hand.

"It's nothing," Xie Yuyan said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I'm just too happy."

Laughter returned from the surroundings, and the slightly stagnant atmosphere was restored to its previous liveliness.

Wang Yan clearly did not believe Xie Yuyan's words. He gently squeezed her hand, stood up and said to everyone, "The banquet is ready, please take your seats!"

Today, the women finally saw just how much their younger relatives and brothers loved their wives, and how quickly they had become annoyed by their noise and wanted to kick them out.

“Let’s go,” said Wang’s aunt first. “Let Ayan rest for a while, and we’ll go out and help out.”

The women responded, and the younger and peers all bowed to Xie Yuyan before leaving.

After the matchmaker and Mama Yu left, Wang Yan sat on the bed and gently embraced Xie Yuyan. He whispered, "Can you tell me what happened to you just now?"

"That box..."

Wang Yan could also see that the problem lay with the box.

Xie Yuyan didn't want Wang Yan to keep guessing, so she raised her head, her eyes not only red but also glistening with tears: "Hechun... In my past life, I saw a similar box in Wang Zheng's hands, with the same pattern, but the style was a little different."

"You said you only know how to carve this kind of patterns, so I guess... you probably made that box too."

"The box," Wang Yan guessed, "was it a gift for you?"

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "No..."

Her voice was hoarse, and she didn't want to speak. Thinking of Wang Yan's early death in her previous life, and hearing his voice now, tears involuntarily slid down her cheeks.

"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't."

Wang Yan wiped away her tears with his hand. He had never seen her cry before, and he was in a state of utter confusion.

Xie Yuyan shook her head: "I want to say it."

“Okay,” Wang Yan said, “speak slowly, I’m listening.”

After a moment, Xie Yuyan finally calmed down: "In your past life... after you left, Wang Zheng asked me to copy a Buddhist scripture for you, and then... he put the scripture into that box."

Even after saying all this, her emotions were still turbulent, like rolling waves.

Wang Yan paused for a moment and said, "You think I know everything? You remember everything."

Xie Yuyan nodded.

Their eyes met, and Wang Yan gently stroked the corner of her eye with his fingertips, a calm smile on his face: "Isn't that good?"

Xie Yuyan stared at him intently.

“Ayan,” Wang Yan said, “I hope I can remember that even though we couldn’t be together, I don’t want to forget.”

Who would want to forget the only person they ever loved?

That was everything he had.

The result he had waited his whole life.

Xie Yuyan looked into those smiling eyes and wanted to speak, but he spoke first: "Ayan, promise me one thing."

Xie Yuyan nodded.

“Don’t say you’ll repay me in this life,” Wang Yan said. “If you still feel you owe me, then come find me in the next life and deceive me again.”

The person in front of her was blurry and clear, clear and then blurry again. He coaxed her softly and patted her back gently.

She finally reached out and threw herself into his arms.

“Okay,” Xie Yuyan’s voice returned to normal, “I agree.”

"You need to be smarter, so that I'm the only one who can fool you."

She raised her face again, leaned closer to him, and pressed her soft lips against his.

This kiss carried a hint of bitterness, yet it was a bittersweet experience.

Amidst the gradually chaotic atmosphere...

"my clothes."

"You're still going out."

"Aren't you... going to the banquet?"

"Wang Yan."

"Wang Hechun, did you hear me?"

……

He Tan stood in the courtyard waiting for Wang Yan. The wine was ready, and he had also chosen the people to toast with him. He thought everything was in place, but the groom was the only one missing.